A whole systems project to improve food security across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council and South Gloucestershire Council worked together with local partners to explore and address the issues and drivers causing food insecurity in seven areas of high need. These included three places in Bristol (Knowle West, Lawrence Hill and Lawrence Weston), two in North Somerset (Weston Central and Weston South), and two in South Gloucestershire (Patchway Coniston, and Charlton and Cribbs).

The project, part of the Shaping Places for Healthier Lives (SPHL) programme, aimed to build on community strengths and resources to develop sustainable solutions to local food insecurity, by taking a complex system change approach and focusing on health issues across social, economic, environmental, and commercial factors.

This case study brings together the work undertaken over the past three years and shares some of the system-wide changes, impacts, learnings, and next steps.

The team aimed to address challenges impacting local food security across BNSSG using a complex systems approach. Many existing local services were operating in crisis mode, exacerbated by the dual pressures of COVID-19 and the cost of living crisis, which caused a dramatic increase in demand for accessible and affordable food.

New thinking was required to better understand the unmet needs of those relying on food provision and to identify opportunities for pooling resources and efforts across the wider BNSSG region.

This programme sought to explore and learn whether and how systemic thinking and design activities could help to shift the existing system towards a more collaborative, networked, and sustainable approach to reducing food insecurity across BNSSG. This required learning, applying, and championing new skills, tools, and methods across activities and involving residents and community stakeholders. The language of systems change can be confusing to those unfamiliar with it, so adapting it to the local context was critical for overcoming barriers to engagement. This adaptation required time to test and iterate, and to identify what worked well.

Collaboration across the three local areas brought both opportunities and practical, logistical, and other challenges. These challenges affected the pace of activities and needed to be addressed by the three local authority teams as they focused on solutions.

Working systemically and laying the foundations for long-term systems change meant adopting a different pace and taking time to build new and stronger relationships with community partners, residents, and relevant public bodies across BNSSG.

Working collaboratively, BNSSG developed innovative and sustainable ways to improve food security in priority communities using a multifaceted co-production approach. The communities of high need were identified through deprivation and health data, and also the willingness of local organisations to engage positively in the project. BNSSG built relationships and worked in partnership with organisations and communities to identify and shape an approach that would be most effective in each area, taking into account the different issues and needs.

In each project area, the teams of voluntary, community sector organisations and schools worked together to plan initiatives that responded to the needs highlighted by local residents. In most cases this planning also included residents, and the groups agreed initiatives by using a voting system, having a resident decision panel, or through conversations and mutually agreeing which ideas would be the best fit for that area. This approach was designed to build on community strengths, resources, and existing work, and led to co-production of local action plans. A key part of these activities was working closely with local people throughout the project and encouraging residents to have a stronger voice about what needs to change and how.

To amplify efforts and potential impact, partners worked simultaneously on numerous initiatives and approaches across the whole system to tackle the root causes of food insecurity, test and iterate new approaches and share learnings.

Each initiative and approach responded to needs and gaps in the existing system identified by residents and the local community, voluntary sector organisations, schools and in BNSSG's Theory of Change.

Activities included:

• Food hub with support and advice
• Food support mapping and information
• A resident micro grant scheme
• A local food forum
• After school cooking clubs
• Cooking and budgeting courses
• Cost of living support events
• Fruit and vegetables on prescription.

Some of these activities created spin-offs and rippled out to other parts of the system.

Crucial to this work was developing a language and approach for systems change that was usable for local projects. Talking in plain accessible words that resonated with local residents and groups was crucial in changing mindsets. Evolving to a more systems-based approach enabled wider involvement and impact.

Ongoing feedback, continuous improvement, and sharing of learnings have strengthened relationships across the three local authority teams. This has encouraged partnership working with stakeholders, the community, and project leaders, helping to support lasting change.

BNSSG focused on building the foundations for long-term systems change across local food security networks and services. Measurable health changes were not expected in the early stages of the programme as these take time, energy and resources to enable. Yet the ripple-effects and positive changes throughout the wider system have already emerged and can be seen with residents, local community groups, councils, and across BNSSG.

Residents

Residents taking part in the project's cooking clubs and courses have reported improved cooking skills, a better understanding of healthy eating, and healthier meal choices at home. The project has also enhanced local access to nutritious and suitable food through various initiatives that provide support and advice. Additionally, residents are now more actively involved in decision-making processes that affect their lives.

Local community groups 

Community and voluntary sector organisations have reported greater collaboration and stronger working relationships. They are now coming together to discuss the broader social and systemic issues affecting local food security provision, sharing ideas for long-term solutions, and exploring collaboration opportunities across BNSSG. These organisations, which may have previously competed on certain projects, are now focusing on working together.

Councils

The project influenced and helped to improve local councils' approaches to community initiatives, helping with the cultural shift, which emphasises the value of resident and community partner participation. This led to the creation of learning opportunities rooted in long-term relational engagement activities. Council colleagues have also reported an increase in collaborative working, for example in South Gloucestershire where departments are working together on the newly formed Food Partnership.

Across BNSSG

Working collaboratively across three local authorities strengthened relationships across council teams, community networks and BNSSG wide collaborations. Sharing learnings and challenges led to a greater understanding of the nuances in each area and fed into strategic decision-making and actions, including:

• Local food forums and groups linked up
• Relevant policies and guidance developed, for example South Gloucestershire Council’s Tackling Inequalities Plan
• Connecting and adding value to existing work streams. For example, household support funded projects
• More local courses and specialist services created and delivered
• Links made into the BNSSG Healthy Weight Declaration
• A new cross-sector food partnership established in South Gloucestershire, which is working towards becoming a Sustainable Food Place.

Finally, a breakthrough moment saw mainstream National Health Service (NHS) funding of over £40,000 secured through a collaborative application for a new fruit and vegetables on prescription scheme. This is a wider, longer-term initiative in inner city Bristol that was only developed and funded with the project’s co-production approach and diverse community engagement and support.

The councils will support the project organisations and networks created as part of SPHL, including highlighting future funding and partnership opportunities, as they become available. Project organisations have also been connected into other local services and networks such as Feeding Bristol and the South Gloucestershire Food Partnership. Each project team plans to continue to meet and work together to access funding streams, collaborate to share resources. and continue to deliver the action plan. Collaborations, such as with a local Bristol General Practice (GP) that was awarded a fellowship in nutrition and health, and strategies like establishing a new BS34 Food Partnership in Patchway Coniston, will amplify shared efforts.

In Bristol, the funding for the new fruit and vegetables on prescription scheme will see this trialled for the first time in the region. A smaller GP-based fruit and vegetables on prescription scheme, using a similar model supported by Shaping Places, has also now received funding in South Bristol. Significantly, BNSSG has engaged Next Link, Community Learning and other services to improve their outreach and support in project focus areas on a long-term basis to continue helping residents eat well.

In South Gloucestershire, the five-year Climate and Nature Emergency Action Plan now includes food insecurity, aiming to become a Sustainable Food Place over the coming year. The newly formed South Gloucestershire ‘Working towards a Sustainable Food Place’ project group will run an engagement event in the Autumn to raise the profile of this emerging piece of work. Through this event, they aim to get wider cross sector engagement in developing a local authority wide food strategy/plan and a food partnership. Other activities include a Food Systems Analysis, a starting point towards becoming a Sustainable Food Place. This analysis will pull together a detailed overview of the current food landscape in South Gloucestershire (from food banks to farms) and identify gaps in provision.

North Somerset plans to develop a comprehensive food strategy for the area. They have also developed a Food in the Community mapping tool in the interim, which highlights all of the support services available around North Somerset, for both residents and local organisations to find support.

• Partnership working is essential to shifting systems
  Spend time strengthening existing relationships and invest time and energy upfront to develop new connections. This will pay dividends later on. Strengthening connections between local partners, residents and different workstreams is an important and lasting change.
• The community knows what it needs
  Invite people to get involved and give them the space to participate meaningfully towards creating change. Build on what's already there and add value and capacity.
• Adopt the language and approach for systems thinking to local needs
  This helps to create buy-in and avoid alienating people from the start. It also helps to develop a mindset and approach towards systems change.
• Change is messy and complicated – small ‘wins’ count
  Systems change is challenging and often things don’t go to plan. Be prepared to adapt your approach and be flexible to get buy-in. Real-world change is much "messier" than academic and theoretical models. Small changes are valuable, add up and have ripple effects.
• Zoom in and out of the ‘system’
  With systems change work it’s crucial to take the time to step back and reflect and review how the system is evolving and what this means for future plans and actions. Build in monitoring and reflection. Think about sustainability from the start.
• External funding can support system change efforts
  It provides the opportunity to try new things, brings legitimacy and gives permission to experiment and test new ideas and ways of working. It brings ‘breathing space’, resources to work at a different pace and the time to build networks and relationships, which create the foundations for longer term systems change.

For further information contact: [email protected]

• Food in the Community Mapping tool
  An interactive map to find local food banks, community fridges or neighbourhood allotments.
• Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire: Improving food security at a local level 
• About Shaping Places for Healthier Lives